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Terror link to Maryland shootings? Experts divided whether killing spree work of al-Qaida
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Friday, October 4, 2002

Posted on 10/03/2002 11:45:15 PM PDT by JohnHuang2

Though al-Qaida training videotapes and manuals captured in Afghanistan specifically show the planning of attacks on Americans in drive-by shootings, experts who have analyzed those materials are cautious about concluding the murder spree outside of Washington yesterday is connected in any way to terrorism.

The videotapes and training manuals, which show Osama lin Laden's terrorists have prepared to kill Americans with small-arms fire from trucks and vans, were first revealed in a WorldNetDaily report last month.

But John Holschen of Insights Training Center, who produced a report on the tape for military and law enforcement officials, said the rash of shootings in a small area of suburban Washington in a short period of time is unusual but not altogether unique.

"It's not inconceivable that this will turn out to be a terrorist attack," he said. However, he cautioned against jumping to any conclusions without more information.

The training video captured in Afghanistan shows al-Qaida operatives practicing the following kinds of assaults:

Skip Gouchenour, a licensed detective in Pennsylvania who has analyzed the videotape and other training materials and made a presentation on them for the Pennsylvania Detectives Association, agreed that the Maryland shooting and murder spree is very unusual.

"I'm not dismissing the possibility of a terrorist connection," he said. "It's strange, indeed."

Gouchenour specializes in investigating murder cases for district attorneys, defense attorneys, police agencies and private citizens. He says he has run across similar murder sprees in his career, but finds some of the details of this case unusual.

Police across the Washington area are searching for what they describe as "a skilled shooter" who killed five people in a random death spree beginning Wednesday night and continuing yesterday morning in Montgomery County, Md.

The shootings took place at two shopping centers, two gas stations and on the lawn outside an auto dealership along Rockville Pike. The victims were ordinary people doing ordinary things on a seemingly ordinary day.

As a result of the attacks, children were kept indoors at schools in the county.

"We do have someone that so far has been very accurate in what they are attempting to do, and so we probably have a skilled shooter," said Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose yesterday. Police said they are looking for a small, slightly damaged white truck that may have black lettering on the side. Witnesses to the shootings said they saw a truck matching that description leaving some of the crime scenes.

Montgomery County police spokesman Derek Baliles said police suspect the shooter was armed with a rifle.

About 40 minutes before the first killing, a shot was fired through a window of a Michael's craft store in the 3800 block of Aspen Hill Road. No one was hurt, but Montgomery County police said they believe the incident may have been related to what followed.

The first fatal shooting occurred Wednesday night at 6 o'clock, when James Martin, 55, of Silver Spring was killed in the parking lot of a Shoppers Food Warehouse at Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue in Wheaton. By yesterday morning, the stores in the area were open for business as usual. A security tape from a camera that monitors the lot had been turned over to police.

Then about 7:40 a.m., James Buchanan was pushing a lawn mower over a narrow strip of grass in front of the Fitzgerald Auto Mall on Rockville Pike when he was shot.

The next victim was Premkumar A. Walekar, a part-time cab driver. It was about 8:10 a.m., at a Mobil gas station on Aspen Hill Road at Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill, when the killer struck and Walekar died pumping gas.

About 8:30 a.m., Sarah Ramos, 34, was sitting on a bench at the shopping center near the Leisure World retirement community off Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring when the killer next took aim and fired.

It was just before 10 a.m. at a Shell gas station in Kensington and Lori Lewis-Rivera, 25, was vacuuming her minivan. The station, at the corner of Knowles and Connecticut avenues in the heart of Kensington, is visible from all directions. But again the killer struck as if coming from nowhere.

Throughout the day the manhunt intensified, but as night fell there had been no arrests. Though authorities have downplayed the possibility of terrorism, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Secret Service have all been involved in the investigation.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; banglist; beltwaysniper; dcsniper; dcsnipers; snipertimeline; snipertraining
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To: infowarrior
"... The AK-47 is chambered for a 7.62mm x 54mm round..."

7.62x39, actually.

Or hey: 7.62x54 by New Jersey Supreme Court-interpreted election laws.

21 posted on 10/04/2002 2:40:44 AM PDT by The KG9 Kid
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To: Jeremy_Reaban; All
if you look at terrorists, the only ones known for this sort of thing are the IRA. However, the IRA apparently does have some ties to some Palestinian groups, as well as Farc.

Yep, they are inter-related:

The Web of Terror

22 posted on 10/04/2002 2:43:14 AM PDT by backhoe
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To: The KG9 Kid
The original was chambered in 54mm, so that the rifle could accept both Warsaw Pact and the NATO 7.62x51mm rounds. The 7.62x39mm round is a "civilian" version of the weapon and the round became popular here in the US. I have a rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm (Ruger Mini-30)...

the infowarrior

23 posted on 10/04/2002 2:46:20 AM PDT by infowarrior
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To: twntaipan
The thing is the shooter(s) could be using any old standard hunting rifle and scope set available at any gun shop or swap meet across the US.

The thing that stands out to me is the "1 shot, 1 kill" method, indicating that the shooter has some experience with this type of thing. It is one thing for somebody to flip out and start shooting everyone around them, indicating that the person lost control of himself or the situation. It is something altogether different to have a series of killings at different locations and times, indicating that the shooter is very much in control of the situation.
24 posted on 10/04/2002 2:52:57 AM PDT by Brad C.
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To: infowarrior
The 7.62x39 used in AK 47s and SKSs is right at the same cartridge as a 30x30,not high power at all.

I started my kids out at about 8 years old with SKSs because of the very light recoil.

25 posted on 10/04/2002 2:53:28 AM PDT by Free Trapper
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To: Brad C.
Of course no one wants this to be found to be a case of terrorism, but it seems very consistent with a highly disciplined killer. Even the randomness of the victims would seem to be intended to evoke much fear. A wacko "going postal" doesn't seem to fit this picture. Very worrisome.
26 posted on 10/04/2002 2:55:59 AM PDT by twntaipan
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To: Free Trapper
True, there's High-power, and there's High Power. I was using the term in the generic sense where even the venerable and fairly low powered 30/30 is called a high-powered rifle, as opposed to a .22...

the infowarrior

27 posted on 10/04/2002 2:56:11 AM PDT by infowarrior
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To: twntaipan
What adds to it is the length of time since the last victim was killed. The shooter is biding his time, and will strike again in another area. It will take a lot of skill, or luck; to catch them.

Then again, if they aren't caught it will serve as an inspiration to others to attempt the same thing. As another freeper posted elsewhere, forty teams of two in forty cities would really create some havoc.
28 posted on 10/04/2002 3:04:01 AM PDT by Brad C.
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To: infowarrior
"The original (AK-47) was chambered in 54mm, so that the rifle could accept both Warsaw Pact and the NATO 7.62x51mm rounds. The 7.62x39mm round is a "civilian" version of the weapon and the round became popular here in the US."

Kalishnikov began designing the AK-47 as early as 1944 for use with the new Soviet M1943 7.62x39 cartridge. Your information is incorrect.

29 posted on 10/04/2002 3:14:35 AM PDT by Godebert
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To: Godebert
The cartridge was also called the M43,a medium power cartridge,used in SKSs,AK 47s and the RPD light machine gun.

If thats a civilian load,I sure wish somebody had told the Viet Cong.

30 posted on 10/04/2002 3:29:37 AM PDT by Free Trapper
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To: brigette; Travis McGee
I read in one story about the man who was mowing the grass had a hole in his chest that was about the diameter of a coffee cup rim

I'm wondering if a very-high-velocity varmint round shattering on impact would do something like that. Otherwise, it would have to be an exit wound.

The only other possibility I could think of that would produce such a wound would be a a 12-guage at very close range, but people would have seen the shooter then/

I'm wondering if Travis McGee would have some idea.

31 posted on 10/04/2002 3:31:03 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor
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To: SauronOfMordor
On Fox News right now (10/4/02 0538CDT), police spokesman saying it was a .223 round.
32 posted on 10/04/2002 3:38:17 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: SauronOfMordor
I bet he was back shot.
33 posted on 10/04/2002 3:38:44 AM PDT by Free Trapper
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To: JohnHuang2
At this point IMHO it sound like it might be a gang initiation. In neraby Fairfax Count, Virginia police have been targeted by a nationwide Latino gang, MS-13 (which stands for Mara Salvarucha) and orginated with street gang immigrants from El Salvador.

Also, in Virginia and possibly in Maryland also, brutal Oriental home imvasion gangs operate during daytime.

A terorists group testing out a scheme could also be an explanation.

34 posted on 10/04/2002 3:38:52 AM PDT by Dante3
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To: infowarrior
I respectfully disagree. You are confused about your cartridge sizes.
35 posted on 10/04/2002 3:41:49 AM PDT by error99
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To: Alas Babylon!
Then the first thing the LEOs will be looking for will be an AR15.
36 posted on 10/04/2002 3:45:32 AM PDT by Free Trapper
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To: ClancyJ
they hit Hispanics, Blacks, Whites.

The cab driver was Indian.

37 posted on 10/04/2002 3:46:46 AM PDT by Alouette
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To: Free Trapper
Agreed. Or some variant (Armalite, Bushmaster, etc). What else? I heard about an AK-47 chambered for this round. Don't know if it's very accurate, though.
38 posted on 10/04/2002 3:49:11 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: JohnHuang2
If the shooter had any brains, he would stay away from the CCW states now that his spree has been reported.
39 posted on 10/04/2002 3:54:31 AM PDT by smith288
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To: JohnHuang2
Nope,not al-Qaida.Can't be.Last night Brokejaw made a point of leading the story with;"And,now a case of homegrown terror..."
40 posted on 10/04/2002 3:57:01 AM PDT by John W
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